polepole ndiyo mwendo

ahh.. counter culture- one of my favorite place in the BR.

splendidly delicious, healthy yogurt.

my pick is either: 

• [a] humphrey yogart, of course. 

[ plain yogurt with honey, granola, strawberries, grapes and bananas. . .yeah. incredible]

• [b]- plain yogurt with strawberries and a few andes mints. mmm so tasty.

 last night went to counter culture with some pretty delightful folks- 

 here we have//

(can’t see)- Caleb, Lil Stinky E ,Josh-Bob, Andrew-drew, Tori-O, and (you can only see her arm) Carole Turner.

We were there for quite a while. had some good conversation.

What is your favorite counter culture creation?!

or, are you one of the poor souls who has never had it?!? [If so then we need to go. stat.]

Since Elevate started in August,  I have had in the incredible oppurtunity to serve each Sunday at the Donaldsonville Dream Center.
I absolutely love it. The culture, the people, the worship environment- it feels like home. 
When we first had to pick which campus we wanted to serve at i initially chose Highland, even though i felt God called me to Donaldsonville. Highland was comfortable, i know how it works and the people, Ive been there for years and it wasnt difficult. [Nothing against serving at Highland, just about obedience.] But God has a way of working out His will and found a way to draw me back to Dville. So there I have been for the past 7 months- and i adore it. The whole culture is splendid. 

Here are a few things that i really just enjoy-
• outside the building each week there is a group of men smoking- never see that at most churches. [hate smoking, love that people still feel accepted despite what we would deem unacceptable and would sometimes be judged for]
• that people dont worry about what they wear each week to church. not about outer appearance. You see such a range of clothes. From just got up and am wearing some random clothes to wearing a brand new suit done up in Sunday best. its so great.
•worship. seriously. i love worship at Donaldsonville- my favorite. If you haven’t come out on a Sunday and experienced it, I would definitely recommend the mini-road-trip to come check it out.
• the kids. there are a few that i really love- Aja, Colby, and now William. these kids are so incredible and loving.Colby for one is a 6 year-old that gets on the HPC van and comes to Church each week on his own because he loves God and wants to learn more about him. He is one of those kids that is continually talking and asking questions, he has such a tender heart and you can already sense a huge calling on his life. And there are more kids like that in Childrens’ at Donaldsonville. I used to help with the 6-8 year olds and I am telling you that all of the kids in that class can tell you all of the books of the Bible in order, that is mucho impressive to me. I don’t even know that. But, I never grew up in Sunday School…oh well. They are way better than me. 
• Guest Services- Colleen has given me a cool chance to be a part of the Guest Services team out there. I get to go to and buy stuff each Sunday to set-up a hospitality room for first times guests that is also the green room for when we have special guests come in. It has been so much fun and a cool learning experience, just getting a feel of how ministry works in different communities that are composed of different cultures. So, it has been grand and so much fun.
• the drive. That sounds so weird, but the drive over there is so relaxing to me. I used to make it by myself each week, but am now joined by the incredible Tori Ohlerking and Emily Wooten for the ride. But, when I used to make it by myself- there was nothing better than a virtually empty road early on Sunday morning. riding in the car with the sun still coming above the trees, just me and God, listening to worship music and thinking and then driving over the sunshine bridge. it is simply splendid. 

Those are a few of the things I love about that place and the experience I get to be a part of each week.You should totally check it out, I’ll give you a ride- it’ll be a party, haa.  

What do you love about your church/campus? 

We got a crazy phone call on Saturday afternoon that my little sister, Elizabeth, got in a pretty bad wreck. My dad was pretty scared when he called, saying they were bringing Elizabeth to the Emergency Room and that her car was totaled. She drives [drove] a Subaru Outback, and was driving with her friend to Casper,Wyoming to shop for prom dresses. As Elizabeth drove down the road @ 60mph, she hit a patch of ice and swerved right in front of an 18 wheeler, hitting it head-on.she hit the 18-wheeler head-on. yeah.You would think that okay, so how bad was she injured, right? um, answer–NOT at all.Elizabeth was unarmed. oh her neck is sore, but seriously?My dad sent me these pictures of her car after the wreck- the entire drivers side of her car is pretty much smashed off, yet she is a-okay.In the email my dad said, “The Subaru is really unbelievable…” hmm really?I would venture to say that maybe God is unbelievable, not a car.Funny how even in situations where God makes his favor and protection OBVIOUS people still give credit to man-made objects and glorify them as opposed to Christ.I think it speaks of God’s favor and calling over Elizabeth’s life, no matter how hard and far she runs- He is waiting for her to turn back around.Just an incredible story of his Grace.And- Subaru Outbacks are a pretty sturdy car.

this has been me for the past 5 days. I got my wisdom teeth out Monday, and after my dear friend Sarah had a quick recovery from hers in December, I figured that mine would be a piece of cake. not so much.I dont really care for being sick or sitting around, so I gave myself about a 2 day recovery time. yeah, funny how sometimes God likes to teach us lessons. Its day 5 and im almost there, but still not fully better. wahh- about to go crazy. I have decided I am ever so grateful for my good health that I have and learning the virtue of patience, sometimes you have to sit back and dont have to do everything? something I dont like to learn.Positive side- I have gotten a chance to catch up on some movies and tv- watched a ton of The Office, Marie Antoinette, Enchanted, Becoming Jane, Funny Face, more Office, and other pointless stuff.I’ve consumed my fair share of Counter Culture yogurt, and about to go get some more.All this to say that if somebody tells you to get your wisdom teeth out, even if they are a dentist, DONT listen. I am pretty sure that life wouldn’t be terrible with them.But, I’m ready for Easter weekend, hoping that i don’t look like a mammoth bulldog at services this weekend and scare people away from Christ. . . we’ll see  

*EDIT– forgot to say how INCREDIBLE a job my mom did taking care of me this whole time. she was pretty spectacular. seriously, if you ever need somebody to take care of you, I would call up mi madre, because she is the best around. thats all*

um today is the birthday of one of my favorite people on this planet i call earth.
her name is LACEY DOTSON.

She is a pretty incredible daughter of the Most High (haaa- who says that?) and you have NO idea how blessed I am to have her in my life. She is a source of inspiration and joy to live a life devoted to God despite your past, circumstances, or excuses. She stands up for what she believes and doesnt let anything hold her back. She is deeply creative- in writing, painting, whatever. ahhh, she is so cool.
She is graduating from high school in May and going to AFRICA this summer. thats right. to love on the orphans and hurting.
Today is her 19th birthday- go show her some love.

cant get this thought out of my mind.
tonight’s Mission track class was pretty powerful. Missions Pastor from Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Fla shared a bit about his heart for missions and then we just a time of focused prayer.
before we prayed, Mr.Dan-O gave us a list of 2008 Missions Prayer Points. a list of things to focus on this year in praying for regarding missions on different levels.
The first was VBS. hmm. This is one of the largest things we will do, impacting the lives of children. and the funny thing is that it was actually at VBS about 7 years ago that i first felt drawn to missions and Africa specifically.
Here is actually part of an essay I wrote for a scholarship application for my Study Abroad about WHY i am going. . .

I was twelve years old, sitting in my oversized junior counselor shirt on the floor of the sanctuary helping with Vacation Bible School. My mom had signed me up to help and I loved bossing younger kids around, so I was having a great time. All the while I was completely unaware of the passion that would be birthed within my heart in those short three days. As a fundraiser for VBS, we raised money for orphans in Swaziland, Africa. As a video with these children’s faces flashed on the screen telling of the care being provided by the relief organization, my heart leaped. I cast it off as nothing, thinking everybody was supposed to love those children and desire to hold them and help them. I didn’t realize it was the beginning of a deep calling that would only grow stronger throughout the years. I now attend LSU with the goal of graduating in International Studies with a concentration in Africa and the Middle East. I want to be equipped with a broader insight into our global culture, a better understanding of people groups, and eventually walk in the role of an international missionary focused on working with the hurting and broken around the world.

It all began with God’s working in VBS. it is more than just 3 endless days of popsicles, puppets, obnoxious songs with matching dances, and crafts galore. God uses simple videos and stories to change children’s lives. and even though i never associate VBS with global missions- i could not be more wrong.
I love how meshed together everything we do in ministry is. it is so true that you can’t put missions in a box, especially at HPC. its all-encompassing.
its who we are. its what we do.
I just keep thinking about that, thought I’d share.

this is a hilarious website Josh Bob twittered about yesterday.
absolute hilarity, yet alot of it scaringly true.

Stuff White People Like Blog
check it out.

Some of my favorites:
• #78- Multilingual Children
• #76- Bottles of Water
• #72- Study Abroad
• #63- Expensive Sandwiches
• #55- Apologies
• #22- Having Two Last Names
• #16- “Gifted” Children

Those are just a few- all of them are quite amusing.

one of my favorite things about Healing Place Church is the heart- it beats to serve the hurting and reach outside of the church “bubble” to people in every demographic and walk of life. The ever-serving and joyful Kelly Finegan had a tremendous idea for a new, extremely idiotic (a little Groeshel for ya) outreach. She thought about all those in the medical profession that work the 7pm-7am shift in the Emergency Room- how difficult their works is and overlooked they are.
So this is what happens when you get a group of about [12 random people + a few red shirts + espresso shots + choclate eggs= a new outreach]

here is a group meeting in the drink aisle in Wal Mart deciding how exactly all this was going to go down. notice Dustin Alise in the back digging in the beer cooler. . .hmm.

we hooked them up with some double shots in the fridge in their breakroom with a little purple card, of course.
it was a good outreach, definitely could tell it was the first of its kind because we were sort of unsure of what we were doing. But, the staff was all so grateful and surprised that we would come out at 12 am to just show them some love, you could tell it was not something that ever happened for them. They work so hard and see so much despair and pain each day, can’t forget they need some compassion and love too.
it was quite idiotic. indeed

oh man.
i just bought my plane ticket to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. there is no turning back now.
peacing out- May 28th, and be back July 12th. 45 days in Tazania and Zanzibar.
my flight is from New Orleans-Chicago-London-Dar Es Salaam.
have an 8 hour layover in London, wonder if we can frolic about the city for a few hours? probably not.

sakdjfals;gjlkjlsdfsdgldhjl! thats what is going through my brain. this makes this whole thing real to me. it is so overwhelming. We did buy our tickets as a group with the others I am going with- so thankful I get to travel with a others and don’t have to go alone. quite a relief. makes the whole experience a little less crazy.

ahhh. when you dream of something for years and it seems so distant yet tangible, then all of a sudden- you are walking out these dreams. God is birthing them in your life- allowing you to be a part of His will, do unimaginable things and blessing you all the while. You just have to step back and breathe. i just can’t explain how overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s love and plans I am. im so pumped about this journey of life. I know it is going to be tough and once I get there it is going to be hard, not all the romanticism we make out Africa to be.
So now I am going to focus on abadoning all of my expectations and ideas of what it is going to be like. What the city, people, program, school, atmosphere- all of it are going to be like. I want to walk in and just absorb everything with a fresh perspective. Absorb the culture, people, language. i love the language, these people are so beautiful. I just want to better understand how they live so I know how to better pour out the love Christ has for them. you know?
I see this as an oppurtunity to go in and learn these peoples’ way of life and WHO they are on the reals, that way I have a deeper understanding of who they are and how to minister to them as opposed to just feeling called to Africa or Tanzania and showing up trying to do ministry there the same way we do ministry in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
no, no, no.
that is why I am so grateful.
that is what I desire to extract from this journey.
That is why i AM GOING.
sorry for the long post written in a jumbled internal monologue- dont know if it really makes sense. just needed to get that off of my head.